LOL Librarian

Process is important and a key component of inquiry learning. I realized that in the library I could be looking at highlighting the research process differently. In a team meeting with our Grade 4 teachers, Ben ( @bgrundy ) asked if I could do something more hands-on to emphasis to kids the difference between search engines and websites. They were finding that students were citing 'Google' as their source of information since Google now provides a larger summary blurb when searching some key terms, so instead of visiting the web page the students only took notes from the summary blurb. Throughout the discussion, Tina ( @CMMorton ) shared that she uses the metaphor of a taxi to represent search engines. This metaphor mixed perfectly with the metaphor I had been using for the kids for the concept of the internet being a place that is a map that requires an address to reach the correct place. Building on this metaphor, I sought resources from our generous kindergarten team w...

During my studies for my Masters of Education with a focus on technology, I have been looking at mobile learning and the pedagogies that are being developed to support m-learning in schools. In my role, I often introduce new tools to teachers. My personal pedagogy was to follow Regie Routman's ' Optimal Learning Model ' since I found as a classroom teacher who used the Reading and Writing Workshop in her classroom that it was a solid way to individualize instruction. Generally, I begin with a pilot program and gather teachers together to demonstrate the tool and if they are keen then we move ahead and get trial. In another, longer session we explore the tool further, co-plan some lessons and assessments as well as develop a survey or other tool to assess the impact the tool has on student learning. As we move forward, we co-teach lessons and then the guided practice happens amongst teachers and students, we learn together. The final stage is to set the students free and g...

As a one to one iPad school, our students are certainly mobile learners and as educators, we are navigating the waters of what is best for our students in terms when should learning use digital tools vs. old school. From my latest dabblings into Twitter blogs such as Jennifer Gonzalez's fabulous post on note-taking  where she expounds the virtues of sketch noting but also has a word of caution for us sailing the digital waters in that the research against digital note-taking is young. Her post is definitely worth reading and it has me reflecting on my own practice as a teacher librarian who over the last couple of weeks has taught both sketch note-taking and digital note-taking. My recent exploration in a Twitter book club which is reading Maryanne Wolf's "Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in the Digital World" provides an interesting insight in all the different ways as mature learners we are reading the text and taking notes. For myself, I'm using my phone ...